question about multiple targets with Energy Missile

superkurt13

First Post
Here is the description of the power from the SRD:


Energy Missile
Psychokinesis [see text]
Level: Kineticist 2
Display: Auditory
Manifesting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./ level)
Targets: Up to five creatures or objects; no two targets can be more than 15 ft. apart.
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half or Fortitude half; see text
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 3
Upon manifesting this power, you choose cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. You release a powerful missile of energy of the chosen type at your foe. The missile deals 3d6 points of damage to each creature or object you target, to the maximum of five targets. You cannot hit the same target multiple times with the same manifestation of this power.
Cold: A missile of this energy type deals +1 point of damage per die. The saving throw to reduce damage from a cold missile is a Fortitude save instead of a Reflex save.
Electricity: Manifesting a missile of this energy type provides a +2 bonus to the save DC and a +2 bonus on manifester level checks for the purpose of overcoming power resistance.
Fire: A missile of this energy type deals +1 point of damage per die.
Sonic: A missile of this energy type deals –1 point of damage per die and ignores an object’s hardness.
This power’s subtype is the same as the type of energy you manifest.
Augment: For every additional power point you spend, this power’s damage increases by one die (d6) and its save DC increases by 1.


Here is my question: if I am a 3rd level Psion and I am fighting two opponents who are 50ft away from me and 5 ft from each other, how much damage will I do to them? According to the description of the power my missile (say I choose fire) will do 3d6+3 damage. Can I do that much damage to each target or is that the total damage I have to allocate between all of my targets?
 

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Thanks Thanee, that's what I thought as well. I have been using it like that until last night when my DM read the description and had a different interpretation of it. He specifically pointed out the following line:

"You release a powerful missile of energy of the chosen type at your foe"

He took that to mean there was only 1 missile and, thus, could not hit multiple targets. he said if I wanted to hit multiple targets I could split the missile, thus splitting the damage between the targets.

Does anyone else have an opinion on this? I want to make sure it works this way before I go back to him with this.
 

Your correct you can hit each of them, as long as they're all packed together like that. No each of them takes a second to swerve out of the way, you'll be down to hitting one or two.

The missile deals 3d6 points of damage to each creature or object you target, to the maximum of five targets.

So it's one of those missles that breaks in to a bunch of tiny missles. Cluster Rockets or something. But Cluster Rockets that don't get any smaller for breaking apart.

(Some people houserule the DC down to 1 point of save for every 2d6 added)
 



FrostedMini1337 said:
Really? I tried to find it in there for my psion who has it now and didn't see it. Must've missed it.

Danke.

No worries. Top of page 88, Complete Psionic.

Cheers,
Vurt
 


The text always seemed pretty clear to me.. and the idea of hand-tossed cluster-rockets is pretty cool.

One thing to be clear on.. every sane person that uses the power in the game does not-not-not allow it to target attended objects. There has never been a clear ruling on that from WoTC (its one of the things that they should have cleared up in CP), and I dont think any other interpretation is appropriate.

With the XPH progression, its a nifty lil power, and a nice perk for being a Kineticist, rather than one of the other specialties. Not sure if Id blow a feat on it as a non-kineticist.

With the CP progression, its a decent power for a kineticist (though I find myself using it less and less as we level up.. just not a huge number of tightly packed mutliple target opportunities), and I definitely would not be spending a feat as a non-kineticist.
 

Marcus Smythe said:
The text always seemed pretty clear to me.. and the idea of hand-tossed cluster-rockets is pretty cool.

One thing to be clear on.. every sane person that uses the power in the game does not-not-not allow it to target attended objects. There has never been a clear ruling on that from WoTC (its one of the things that they should have cleared up in CP), and I dont think any other interpretation is appropriate.

With the XPH progression, its a nifty lil power, and a nice perk for being a Kineticist, rather than one of the other specialties. Not sure if Id blow a feat on it as a non-kineticist.

With the CP progression, its a decent power for a kineticist (though I find myself using it less and less as we level up.. just not a huge number of tightly packed mutliple target opportunities), and I definitely would not be spending a feat as a non-kineticist.

Any Wilder (blaster-build) worth his salt picks up Energy Missile at level 6 with Expanded Knowledge.

Further more, its such a good power, that any non-kineticist Psion would be tempted to pick it up at level 5 with Expanded Knowledge.
 

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